The Colors of Crimson and Green
by hyper-chika
Summary: Summary Changed! Guyz, I don't wanna have the Triwizard Tournament anymore, so I'm gonna get rid of that part, k?
1. Intro

1 Year Earlier

_She opened her eyes and looked around. It took her a moment, but she realized where she was. The dark, musty chambers were seared permanently into her mind, and this was a place Virginia Weasley would never forget. She tried to scream, to call out, but she found her voice lost and sorrowfully looked down, tears streaming down her face. She was back in the Chamber of Secrets. She looked around and saw the lifeless body of the basilisk. It twitched, and she rubbed her eyes, sure it was her imagination. Then, it twitched again, shuddering as life returned. The gray, dead scales came alive in a rich green and the snake began to slide across the floor. She saw the diary, the fang inserted in it. The snake nudged the fang from it, causing it to fall to the ground with little noise. The diary instantly mended itself. Ginny's eyes widened in horror. A swirling gust of wind came out of no where, flipping the diary's pages open.  A flash of light ripped through the page and Ginny yet again found herself facing the younger version of Lord Voldemort himself: Thomas Marvolo Riddle. Tom leaned over and grabbed her chin delicately in his long fingers and looked into her eyes. He caught her lips in a quick, tender kiss. Ginny pushed away quickly and opened her mouth again._

_"HARRY!!" she screamed, finding her voice. It echoed long and loudly through the corridors, and Riddle's eyes narrowed. He raised a hand to slap her._

_"Hold it right there, Riddle," a cool, crisp voice cut in. Tom looked up and over. A malicious grin spread on his face. Ginny turned, expecting fully to see Harry Potter in all his glory, here to rescue her. She gasped in shock as a hooded figure stepped from the shadows. Tom raised his hand again to hit her, and Ginny winced, preparing for the blow._

_"I SAID HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" the figure yelled. Ginny whirled and saw the figure pull down his hood. Draco Malfoy stood, wand drawn. "Touch her…and I might have to kill you…" he whispered in a deadly tone his gray eyes flashing. Ginny's heart was racing. Surely this wasn't real! Just as the two boys each raised a wand, Tom Riddle's began to flash-was it Harry's?!- just as Draco's had too. Green light flashed and just as they beams of light hit one another…_

Ginny gasped for breath, holding her throat as though she were short on air. That dream had kept coming, over and over, and she didn't know why. She was covered in a cold sweat and her blankets were at her feet. She only had her very last sheet covering her to her waist. The dream got further and further every night…She sighed and got up, pulling on her a cute plaid mini-skirt and a soft gray turtleneck sweatshirt. She'd actually realized how lame her clothes used to be and made a startling bloom from that geeky faze. She decided to take a walk. No one else would be up this early. She would be able to just go to her spot and think. Think about life. Her friends. Her family. Her dreams. But most of all, she'd think about him. About Draco.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco Malfoy leaned up in his four-poster, pulling his curtains roughly aside. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and rested his elbows on his legs. He leaned his head down and buried his face in his hands. He needed to go for a walk. That dream was going to tear him apart. Why was he having dreams about the seeming most annoying Weasel of them all? And worse than that, why was he fighting for her life against the preserved memory of his Lord? He got dressed quickly in a black turtleneck sweatshirt (they were all the rage with young European wizards and witches) and his pressed gray dress pants. He pulled on a cloak over his clothes. He crept carefully down to the Slytherin Common Room. He tapped the wall with his wand, and the stones shifted. Slipping through the hole that had temporarily opened, he walked down the drafty corridors,

He was lost in a daze as he walked down the hall, listening to the faint patter of his shoes on the cool stone floor. He didn't even notice that he had walked to the main entrances to the school. He sighed and walked out the door. He slid down the narrow path that led to the water below the bridge. He drew his wand and played with the water, making it swirl in circles and causing beautiful fountains to arise. Hours passed of doing this. Draco's toes, fingers, and ears all felt the crisp cool of the night nipping, but he ignored it.

He froze as he saw a girl in a light cloak walk outside and sat on the bridge. She dangled her feet over the edge and sighed. From her cloak pocket she drew her wand and created a dolphin out of water and made it splash and play merrily, expressing the exact opposite of what she seemed to be feeling right now. He watched her but couldn't see her face in the pale moonlight. It was too early for the sun to be up but there was still a sufficient amount of light. Why couldn't he see her, damn it?

Time elapsed quickly, flying by and still Draco couldn't figure out who it was. Then, she drew down her hood and took a deep breath of air. Exhaling, her breath froze in the crisp autumn atmosphere, and Draco saw her face.

"Weasel!" he exclaimed. Damn…he thought. He hadn't meant to say that aloud. Her eyes snapped down and rested on him. The sun had started to rise over the hills, illuminating her flowing hair that fell softly on her cloak, making her look gorgeous. Draco's head was spinning slightly. It took him a moment to realize she was staring at him…no! not staring…the youngest Weasley was glaring angrily at him.

"What are you doing out here, _Malfoy_?" she asked bitterly. She'd said his name like it wasn't worthy of rolling off her tongue. Her sharp words stung slightly, as any insult from an attractive female did to a male's ego, but he hid it.

"So now I have to explain myself to you?" he sneered. She scoffed and jumped to her feet.

"Why do I even bother?" she cried. She turned on heel and stormed inside. He could only look after her, stunned. Hadn't she taken the sharp tone first? He hadn't even done anything! He jumped to his feet angrily and followed her. He saw her muddy tracks on the floor and knew Filch would be looking for the exact match of the size and shape, so he paused. He was, after all, trying to earn the status of Head Boy. He whipped out his wand and flicked his wrist, muttering a cleaning spell. The mud disappeared. Once he was satisfied that it was clean, he continued to the Great Hall where she was obviously going, oblivious to the poltergeist who'd appeared out of no where, spreading a fresh bucket of mud on the floor. 

"Excuse me, Miss Weasley," Malfoy said, bursting into the Great Hall. The scattered students all looked up at him and Ginny looked up from her breakfast. She'd been daydreaming, and he had rudely pulled her from this sedated state. Pulled from her trance, she dropped the tendril of hair she'd been absent-mindedly twirling. She sighed, rather annoyed. She rose, her bagel still in her hand. She wrapped it in a napkin quickly and transfigured her goblet into a thermos, taking her hot chocolate with her. He sneered at her.

"Running away?" he called. She froze and turned.

"Not at all, _Malfoy," There! She did it again! He sighed, but covered quickly with a smirk._

"I was just warning you of the mud on your shoes. We wouldn't want you to spoil those pretty hand-me-downs, seeing as the Weasley family can't afford anymore…" he drawled. She glared at him, making him want to cower. 

"I'll have you know, these are new! And they were bought by _me_ and _my _money!" Ginny snapped. He simply rolled his eyes and turned. Why had he followed her? "And at least my family loves me!" Ginny called to his retreating back, not quite finished with him. He froze, hands clenching and unclenching. He whirled around and stormed back over to her. In the Muggle world, that insult would've rolled off without so much as a slight sting, but here in the Wizard's world, it meant something...especially to a family with such standing as the Malfoy's.

"And I'd much rather have a loving family than more money than I could need in 4 lifetimes!" she finished sharply, glaring. Draco's face looked as though she'd slapped him. Hard. Her eyes softened instantly. "And I'm guessing from the look on your face…so would you…" she said gently. Malfoy was shaking. His emotions quickly vanished under the typical mask he held when he noticed that all of the students in the Great Hall were staring. He looked around and glared at them, making them return to their business (or at least pretend to). His fingernail's bit sharply into the tender flesh of his palms, drawing crescents of blood. Ginny's eyes widened when she noticed this. He snatched her arm and half-dragged her out of the room. She looked at him sadly, following with struggle. Once they were out of the Great Hall, he shoved her, releasing her arm. She stumbled but didn't fall.

"You're bleeding…" she started softly, taking his hand gently. Her medical instincts overcame her hatred for Malfoy, and she ignored the urge to slap him. Her touch seared through him and he yanked his hand away. Compared to her warm hands, his were ice cold.

"Don't talk about what you don't know!" he snarled.

"But you _are bleeding…"_

"Not about that! You know what I'm talking about!"

"Malfoy…"

"Good day, Miss Weasley," he said, and stormed away. Ginny sighed, and rolled her eyes. Why did she care so much if Malfoy was mad at her? She turned sharply and walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that morning, once everyone was up and eating breakfast, Ginny sat in the Great Hall munching on a piece of toast and sipping her Pumpkin Juice. She was studying for an extremely difficult potions exam, and was deeply absorbed in the book. It took her a while to notice Malfoy's constant flick of glances at her. She looked up and stared at him. Harry nudged her and she jumped, spilling his Pumpkin Juice.

"Oh Harry! I'm sorry!" she said, handing him her napkin. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Ginny grinned. It'd been a while since she'd actually had a crush on Harry, because he'd become, more or less, just another big brother Weasley, looking out for her and helping her. Ginny tugged nervously on her sweatshirt and couldn't help but let her eyes flash over to see if Malfoy was looking. And sure enough, his cool gray eyes met her amber ones. She couldn't look away. Malfoy slowly started to stand, as if to come over and say something. Just then, Dumbledore rose, lifting his glass. He tapped his spoon on it, and all eyes instantly fell on him, the room dead silent.

"Ahem…as some of you may know, we are third year since the Triwizard Tournament was last held. We will be, yet again, holding another in our following year," Murmurs spread through the hall. A bold second year Ravenclaw stood up.

"I thought they were held once every 5 years, and at different schools! It's only been 3 since the last one, 4 by next year, and it was held here too!" he said. A few older students chuckled. 

"True, true. Clever Ravenclaw, obviously in his right house!" Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. "However, under the circumstances, we believed a Triwizard Tournament would boost the spirits of the three schools. Now that the war is ended, we need some exciting events. We chose Hogwarts because the other schools all enjoyed it here thoroughly." The hall murmured again. 

"Now, for those of you who don't know what the Triwizard Tournament is, it's a competition between three European Wizarding Schools: Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. A champion is selected from each of the three magical schools, and will be required to compete in three magical tasks. The heads of Beauxbaton and Durmstrang will be arriving with a their short-listed contenders. Please make them feel comfortable and at home. They are, after all, our guests for the rest of the year," Dumbledore said, smiling. "As it was last year, only students above the age of 16 may enter. Thus, I'm predicting only 6th and 7th years should attempt entry. And please, don't try any spells. Students have tried" –he paused, and everyone, including Dumbledore, instantly thought of the mischievous Weasley twins and the bearded results of their aging spells- "and failed. Thank you." He smiled and sat down. A murmur passed through the students and crescendoed into the usual morning's chatter.

Malfoy looked up to try to re-meet the youngest Weasley's eyes. However, she was already trapped in her potion's book. He sighed and turned back to his meal. He felt an arm slip through his. Pansy. He had to resist the growl that rose in his throat. She rested her head on his shoulder. This was going to be just one of those days.


	2. It Begins Again

Present Time a.k.a. Ginny's 6th and Draco's 7th years at Hogwarts

Chapter 1

Draco cursed the jeering Gryffindors. He'd only been walking through a hallway, and suddenly as he'd passed a portrait of a fat lady, they'd appeared. From no where it seemed. He shoved his way through the crowded halls and ignored the pokes and prods of Gryffindors. Suddenly, he remembered who he was. He stopped where he was and glared at them all.

"Back to your common room!" he snarled. "Or, as Head Boy, I'll be forced to take off points…" Just his luck Hermione Granger was there. She stepped forward, clutching her books closely to her chest. On her right stood Potter, on her left, Weasley.

"Not so fast, Malfoy. I don't see my Gryffindors doing anything wrong-"

"Except showing disrespect to the Head Boy!" he snapped. Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Forget him guys…just go back to the common room," Hermione said, whirling on heel. Draco scoffed and turned. He was almost gone when he heard an indignant cry. He turned and saw Ginny Weasley pounding at the Fat Lady Portrait. _So the little Weasel gets left out again,_ he thought smugly. Ginny saw him and squeaked again as he took a step nearer.

"Come on you guys! Lemme in!" she cried.

"What's the matter, Weasel? Can't get in the Common Room?" he sneered. Ginny's eyes widened as she realized that Draco Malfoy was staring straight at her with his piercing gray eyes. She sighed exasperatedly.

"Aw, the poor little Weasel…feeling a little dejected that Potter hasn't come to save you?" he said, a smirk spreading on his face. Ginny's eyes narrowed.

"Who do you think you are?! You might be Head Boy, but I'm still a prefect!" she said, flashing her badge. "I still have rights! Now leave me alone you stupid git!"

"Shut up you twerpy Weasel!" he said sharply. She leaned up to his ear and he froze, unsure of what she was up to.

"Bite me, Malfoy," she muttered sharply. "My pleasure," he murmured and swiftly bent down and bit her gently on the throat. Ginny gasped. She pushed him away and he stumbled slightly, but quickly caught himself. His trademark smirk shone true on his face as he turned and sauntered away. She whipped out her wand and aimed it at him carefully. She whispered something and a grin spread on her face as she watched Draco whirl around and the expression of shock just before he was transfigured into a ferret.

"Take that, Malfoy," Ginny said, grinning widely. She froze, however, as she heard a gasp that sounded all too much like McGonagall's.

"MS WEASLEY! WHO IS THAT?!" The disgruntled professor screamed. Instantly Gryffindor heads poked out from the open portrait. Ginny cringed.

"Er…ahem…finite incantum…" Ginny muttered. Draco turned back into his human form, on hands and knees.

"MS WEASLEY!!!" McGonagall screamed again, now seeing the Head Boy. She glared at the young, quivering Gryffindor. "I could take away your rank for this…"

"But…" Ginny sputtered. The voice that spoke next made Ginny jump at how calm it was.

"That won't be necessary, Professor. I'm sure Weasley made a mistake. I'd rather not lose a good prefect…there so hard to find these days. Say, 50 points from Gryffindor for this?" Malfoy said coolly. Ginny looked at him, covering the grateful expression quickly.

"I…yes, yes…that seems fair. DO NOT let this happen again, or I will see to it you do lose your prefect rank and more than this mere 50 points from our house," McGonagall said. Draco Malfoy turned and left, offering no explanation for defending the youngest Weasley. Ginny could only stare after him until the Gryffindors pulled her into the common room.

"Did you just turn Malfoy into a weasel?!" a second year asked excitedly. Malfoy, during the previous year, had had Crabbe and Goyle shove ice down the poor kid's pants 

"Actually…it was a white ferret…" she muttered. Everyone was quiet. Ginny began to blush and quickly added, "You should've seen the look on the stupid git's face right before I changed him! It was so funny!" The Common Room roared with laughter. Harry Potter came over to her and grinned.

"Good job, Gin!" he laughed. Ron was bragging that his kid sister had managed to transfigure the infamous Malfoy into a ferret.

"Ginny, that was very dangerous…even if it WAS Malfoy…" Hermione piped. Ron covered her mouth with his hand.

"Hermione, come off it! You know you woulda loved to see it," Ron said happily. Hermione smiled slowly, nodding.

Ginny was the only one with a fake smile plastered on her face.

It seemed like forever until night when the Gryffindors stopped their noisy chatter and climbed the stairs to their dorms. Ginny finally saw that she sat alone. She absent-mindedly stroked the spot on her neck where Malfoy had bitten her. She realized she was daydreaming, replaying the scene over and over in her mind. She shook her head. She pulled out a quill and paper quickly and scribbled- well, she thought it was scribble, but to anyone else, the paper held elegant curves and swirls that were of magnificent penmanship- a note.

'Reasons Not to Like Malfoy:

~ He's a Slytherin.

~ He's a Malfoy.

~ He hates Weasleys.

~ He hates Potters.

~ He is mean.

~ He'

Ginny was interrupted by The Trios sudden entrance. She sighed and quickly covered her parchment with a book.

"Hey Gin," Hermione said warmly. Ron glanced over her and she met his eyes for a moment. She blushed and looked away. Harry and Ron shared a look of slight confusion.

"Hey Hermione," Ginny was one of the very few people who knew that Hermione was beginning to like her red-haired, freckle-faced brother.

"What'cha got there?" Ron said, seeing the slip of parchment beneath her book. He snatched it, despite Ginny's cries of protest. Confusion quickly swept across his face as he read it.

"Ginny…these are all obvious things. We all know them…"

"Ya, I know…I was bored, okay? And I was mad at Malfoy, so I was writing that out to blow off steam…" she covered quickly. That satisfied her brother and he replaced the sheet without so much as another question. 

They all stood quietly, as though expecting something to happen. Then, it did. There was a slight tap at the window. Harry went over and opened it, allowing Hedwig to enter. He took the letter and grinned.

"It's from Sirius," he said. They glanced quickly at Ginny and ran up to Harry and Ron's dormitory and closed the door. Ginny rolled her eyes. _There they go again_, she thought sadly. She picked up her books and half-dragged herself up to her dorm. It was late, and she was tired. She dropped her books on the floor. She flopped down on her bed and curled up, quickly falling asleep.

Draco stayed up and stared at the wall. The Weasel had turned him into a ferret! He had bitten her…_OH MY GOD…I BIT HER!_ He thought suddenly, shocked that he'd actually done that. _Tsh__…__it was her fault…if she hadn't told him to…_he tried to reason with himself, failing miserably. He sighed and pulled up his calendar to distract himself. He saw it, written in bold, sparkling green and silver letters:

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT RETURNS!!!

He grinned slowly. Maybe he'd win this year. He chuckled at the thought. He put his calendar away and climbed the stairs to his dorm. His roommates where already sound asleep (and in Crabbe and Goyle's cases, snoring) so he crept quietly. He slid into his four-poster and fell asleep.


	3. Breakfast, Malfoy?

(A/N: I haven't written one of these yet…oh well…I noticed in the last chapter Draco and Ginny were..um…well, I used the phrase "covered quickly" far too often, so I was very careful with this chapter, and since I got some reviews, I'm gonna post cuz I'm eager to hear pplz thoughts)

"Draaaaaacooooo…" Pansy's voice was wailing right in his ear. His eyes slid over and he looked at her.

"What is it now?" he said, as calmly as his voice would allow. Pansy attempted a puppy dog face and put her hands behind her back in a childish, innocent way. Draco sighed in annoyance. He bent down and kissed her quickly on the lips. Instantly, he regretted it. Her hands shot out and locked around his neck, holding him in the kiss. He tried to pull back, but she took it the wrong way and jumped closer to him. She pushed him against a wall.

"Pansy, no….stop!" Draco yelped, ducking under her. She fell against the wall and whirled around. She didn't move, but instead leaned against the wall, her hair tumbling over her shoulders and her eyes full of lust.

"Come on…" she said, attempting a seductive tone but ended up sounding more like she whining. She snatched his hand. "Fine. Walk me to breakfast then." She half-dragged him down the hall, ignoring his sighs of irritation. The Durmstrangs and Beauxbatons came today. Draco was actually rather eager to see who came this year. They finally arrived at the Great Hall, and his eyes instantly searched the Gryffindor table. He felt a pang of disappointment when he didn't see Ginny. Suddenly, he realized what he was thinking and diverted his attention to Pansy's chatter. Ha. That lasted long. His mind quickly began to wander and he didn't even notice the girl until he'd already run into her. Ginny Weasley looked up at him and locked eyes. Draco was about to apologize when Pansy's squeaky voice rang clear and true.

"Oh Draco, look. By running into that piece of trash, you've soiled your robes…" she said, patting away an imaginary spot of dust. Draco rolled his eyes and would have told her to shut up but a pair of flashing amber eyes caught his attention.

"Oh, forgive me, Your Majesties," Ginny said in mock-fear. "I didn't mean to ruin your clothes." She grabbed a tin of syrup in one hand and lifted it above Draco's head. He watched her hand, eyes narrowed. She dumped it on him. "Oops…" she said. She dumped some on Pansy, who squealed furiously and ran away. But Draco didn't move. Ginny grinned and snatched a plate of pancakes and rubbed it in his face, followed by eggs, and then, pumpkin juice. Each time, she said 'oops' innocently. She fluttered her eyes at Draco.

Just then, Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall entered the Great Hall, chattering with the newly arrived Durmstrangs and Beauxbatons. They all froze and gaped at the two standing in their direct path.

"MALFOY! WEASLEY" Snape and McGonagall's voices rang clearly in harmony. Draco whirled around and grimaced.

"And this," McGonagall said, going red in the face from anger, "Is our Head Boy." She removed a piece of egg from his hair and dropped it in disgust. "Also here you'll notice the Gryffindor prefect, Ms. Weasley," she continued. A group of girls began to snicker. Draco recognized the seeming leader of the small group as the previous Beauxbatons' champion's younger sister, Gabriel Delacour.

"My office-NOW!" Snape snarled. "We'll deal with you two later. I assume you both understand the rules to the Triwizard-" he paused, thinking "-that is, if we even allow you two to enter! Now get out of my sight!" he snarled. The two scampered by and walked down to the Dungeons.

Ginny stole a glance at Draco. His hands were shoved in his pockets and he was glaring straight ahead. He glanced over at her. "What is it, _Weasley_?" he said her name with the same she'd said his previously.

"Nothing, _Malfoy," she hissed, repeating his tone. They walked silently to the Dungeons and slipped into Snape's office. Ginny sat down, but Draco paced impatiently. The quiet was broken by Draco's voice._

"You know, I can't believe you Weasel!" Ginny looked up, startled. "You could've told them that it wasn't my fault! I didn't even do anything!"

"Oh puh-lease Malfoy, you've been giving me trouble since my first year. I think you bloody well deserve this as much as I do," she retorted angrily.

"I've been giving you hell?! What about the little ferret incident earlier? Huh? Huh?"

"YOU BIT ME!" she screamed.

"YOU TOLD ME TO!"

"I WAS BEING SARCASTIC! IT WAS AN INSULT, NOT A BLOODY COMMAND!"

"Silence!" They both whirled around to see Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape. Dumbledore slid passed them and sat on Snape's desk. Calmly, he folded his hands and placed them in his lap. He looked up at the two students and the most unexpected noise came from the Headmaster.

_Laughter_.

"Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Weasley. As entertaining as you two have been, I'm afraid I must give you each detentions," he chuckled. "You two must realize that you have seriously offended the Headmistress of Beaxbatons and the Headmaster of Durmstrang. Until you two show a serious improvement of companionship, you two will have detention together, every night," Draco gawked at the Headmaster.

"Surely you're _joking_?!" Draco said.

"I can assure you, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore sobered up. "I am perfectly serious." Draco scoffed. He couldn't contain his anger.

"This is all your fault Weasel!"

"What?! It was you and your little girlfriends fault!"

"Pansy is not my girlfriend! It was not Pansy's fault! Nor was it mine!"

"WAS TOO!"

"WAS NOT!"

"UH, YA! IT WAS!"

"Now this is going to get you detention for a week whether your best friends tomorrow night or not," Dumbledore laughed, turning out of Snape's office. McGonagall shook her head and sighed.

Both Ginny and Draco were glaring angrily at one another. After a few moments of eye lock, Ginny's resolve crumbled under his silvery glare. She hated when people were genuinely mad at her; it didn't matter that it was Malfoy. She stared at her feet and cleared her throat.

"P-Professor Snape…may I go?" Snape seemed to have forgotten they were there and was busily grading test papers. His eyes snapped up.

"Yes. You are both dismissed," he growled. Just as they turned to leave, he added, "And Mr. Malfoy…clean yourself up before you go back to breakfast," Draco turned slightly pink and nodded. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco took a quick bath and went up to his dorm. He found on his bed the House Elves had lain a fresh set of clothes out and had even polished his Head Boy badge. He grinned and pulled on the fresh clothes. He snatched a brush and combed out his hair, then ran his fingers through his hair. It feel loosely in a crown around his head and he grinned. He walked out and on his way, right before the Great Hall he saw the Weasel. She actually looked like she had taken a bath too, for her hair was soft and light and her clothes actually smelt fresh and crisp. Draco shook his head. What did he care what she did with her free time? They walked silently next to one another for a while, then, suddenly, Draco grabbed Ginny's arm.

"Listen Weasel. We're gonna need to pretend to be close until that git of a Headmaster sees we're…er…_friends_," he spit out the word in disgust. 

"Oh, so you want me to act like I'm close to you?" Ginny teased. He raised an eyebrow as she stepped slightly closer. She rested her head on his arm and snatched his hand. "Like…this?" She stroked his hand gently. She leaned up and nipped his ear gently, sending chills right down his spine. _That's not fair!_ Draco's mind was screaming. _I'm still a seventeen-year-old boy! She's using my hormones against me! She is so-_

Just then, the Great Hall opened and Pansy came out. Ginny instantly jumped timidly away from Draco and blushed, staring at the ground. Pansy, who was her usual ditzy self and blind as a bat, didn't see them anywhere near one another. In fact, she didn't even see Ginny. Her eyes sparkled as she took in his appearance. 

"Draco," she purred. "You look absolutely dashing," she grabbed his arm and Draco sighed. He'd rather have the Weasel hanging off him in a teasing way than Pansy. _Anyone_ but Pansy. She dragged him into the hall and the Slytherins made no comment about how the Weasel had completely embarrassed him. He sat down silently.

Across the Hall, Ginny looked up and watched the Slytherins chatter noisily. She turned to her fellow Gryffindors and poured out how she was being forced by Dumbledore to be friends with Malfoy and the detentions. But Hermione, being Hermione, interrupted.

"It's your own fault, Gin. You should've walked away," she said matter-o-factly. Many of the Gryffindors murmured in agreement. Ginny sighed and began to pick at her food. She actually would welcome Detention. She'd rather be anywhere than near these Gryffindors. Perhaps it would have been better to be a Hufflepuff…at least _they're_ loyal….


	4. Quidditch Balls

Ginny sat silently through Potions and Transfiguration. She didn't speak to anyone except for raising her hands and answering the teachers' streams of questions. She performed the transfiguring spell perfectly (changing her chair into a perfect imitation of a phoenix that, when she ended the spell, burst into flames and seemed to be 'reborn' as a chair) and her sleeping potion worked so well that her experimental cat was still sleeping in the dungeons. Both McGonagall and Snape praised her. Snape, not so much, but her potion was performed so well he wished that she wasn't a Weasley and that she was in Slytherin. Her potions since the third year had always been perfect, but as the years passed, he was reminded more and more of himself. Not physically of course, because she was female and had the trademark red hair, but he too had been amazing in potions and had top marks in other classes. He too had been a mere tagalong, and he too, had been a student who'd buried himself so far into his books during Hogwart's that only the presence of the girl he'd fallen for could draw him out. McGonagall awarded Gryffindor with fifteen points for Ginny's beautiful phoenix, and Snape awarded five.

The class seemed shocked that she'd managed to impress Snape enough for him to award their House points rather than take them away. They all tried to talk to her and get her into their meaningless chatter, but her walls were too high, and plus, she just wasn't in the mood. When they congratulated her, she merely mumbled a 'thank you' and scurried off. 

As great as her day had been, Ginny was in a bad mood. She was actually counting the minutes 'til detention. She really wanted Malfoy to snap out some insults so she could let off some steam and throw them right back. Detention tonight was with Professor Sprout. Ginny pulled on a dark blue, form-fitting halter top and a pair of loose flares. She pulled her hair back into a bun. Tendrils fell, as usual. She blew them out of her face in annoyance. She sighed and glanced at her reflection. She thought she still looked like she was a gangly teenager, but any boy in the school would absolutely disagree. Her freckles had faded and her smile was dazzling.  Ginny pulled on a light, black zip-up sweatshirt. She smiled sweetly at Colin Creevey. He'd been her best friend since fourth year when they'd dated once and realized they were better as friends. They'd had the best time playing pranks on Fred and George, though it wasn't fun when the Weasley twins realized it was them. They rounded on the two fourth-years and the practical jokes where everywhere. Just being around Colin cheered her up and she felt bouncy and hyper. She actually felt like kicking Draco's butt if he commented on her jeans or halter top, but she was in a better mood. She entered the Greenhouse with the sign that read "Weasley and Malfoy."

Draco looked up from the plant he was poking with his wand. Just as he did, a plant's leaf opened and a spiky spore shot out and hit him in the hand. As much as Ginny's mind screamed for her to laugh and scoff, her usual gentle side took over. She walked over to him, and he looked up. He was cradling his hand tightly against his dark black robes. She reached out gently and took his hand in hers. He looked at her with a confused expression, but she smiled sweetly in reply. She glanced at the plant and looked at the spore. She blew on it gently and the spore released itself.

"Poison's already injected…" Ginny muttered, examining his hand. She looked up at him. "Don't take this personally," She leaned down and placed her lips on his wound and sucked the poison out. His eyes widened instantly at her actions. She spit the poison out in utter disgust and then muttered a bandaging charm. White bandages appeared with a pop and wrapped themselves around Draco's wound.  She dropped his hand with a grin then turned at the noise of a door opening, leaving him to stare at her in shock and confusion.

"Ah, you're here, good," Professor Sprout said. She opened a cupboard and drew a small plate. On it were wriggling things that appeared to be maggots. "What I want you two to do, is plant these. You have to get them out of the shell by biting them, then planting them right away," Ginny took the plate, her face paling instantly at the thought. "The conditions are just right. Since it's a Friday…I won't have to worry about keeping you out all night. Just make sure it's done before dawn, or else these critters'll die." Draco and Ginny nodded, both looking as though they'd be sick. They walked outside and to the area by the lake where the moon shone, just as Professor Sprout's note instructed.

"Look Ginny," Draco teased, looping an arm smoothly around her waist, acting as she had before with him. Was he pretending? Her heart was racing, and skipped a beat when he'd said her name. She looked at him, deciding that he was joking, and didn't blush even in the slightest. "It's our spot." Ginny couldn't help but grin. She ducked out from under his arm and examined the seeds. Carefully, she picked one of the seeds up but instantly dropped it with a yelp.

"Oh God…" she murmured, her face rather pale. Draco actually was worried that she would throw up. "I can't do this…" she squeaked, covering her hands with her mouth. Draco sighed. He picked one up and bit the shell off. It instantly stopped moving. Ginny was actually amazed.

"I'll do this part if you plant most of them…" Draco negotiated. She looked at him and nodded slowly.

"All right…"  Ginny said softly. She met his eyes, cheeks flushing slightly. He looked away quickly and snatched another seed. He handed her the seeds and finally, when there were no more left to crack, he helped her dig small holes and fill them carefully. His plantings were rough and swift. When he glanced over at her, he saw brow furrowed in concentration. Her fingers worked nimbly and patiently, allowing the small seedlings to sprout the small stem that was supposed to appear. Each time they did, the sweetest smile Draco had ever seen spread infectiously on her face. She always stroked the stems that budded. Softly, under Ginny's gentle hands and the moonlighting stimulation, they bloomed. Draco's looked like wild plants that needed tending. Draco fumbled with a rather annoying seed that continued to sprout wrong.

Ginny grinned at Draco's obvious annoyance and slid over to him. She shoved him playfully and he looked up. She raised her eyebrows at his continuous "encouraging" movements for the plant. Slowly, he stopped, keeping eye contact with her. He grinned nervously and gave a squeaky chuckle under her mock-skeptical gaze. She reached down and moved her hands around his, showing him how to properly cup the plant, leaving a small hole where the moonlight streamed in. Instantly the struggling seedling bloomed to its correct height. Ginny jumped to her feet and brushed her hands off on her pants. Professor Sprout came by to check on their progress and was pleased by the results.

She dismissed the exhausted students and at the Grand Staircase, Ginny yawned and stretched, running her fingers through her hair. She looked at Draco and murmured something that sounded like "'Night" before stumbling up the stairs. Draco grinned and shook his head. He too was tired, but he'd learned to cover that up. He walked to the Dungeons, ignoring the Prefects cries of protest at him trailing in dirt on the rugs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ginny yawned and stretched, leaning against the large tree. She rested her book on her stomach and let the sun absorb into her skin. She rolled over, resting her face in the freshly cut grass. She heard the giggles and chatter of other students and sighed. Everyone was always so noisy. Couldn't they just leave her be for once? She got up and walked inside to get her broom. No one was scheduled for Quidditch practice, and her Nimbus 2001, no matter how old, was always great to fly on. She snatched her broom and changed into a black tight t-shirt that cut fairly low, and a pair of her usual flare jeans. She draped a cloak over her shoulders (it always tended to get cold after flying around for a while).

Ten minutes later she was set and on the field. She hopped on her broom and zoomed around the entire field a couple of times. She hardly even noticed the figures that entered the field only moments later. That is, until one zipped up to her. She pulled her broom sharply to stop from running into the figure, nearly falling off herself.

"Weasel! What are you doing?" a sharp voice sneered at her. She looked up and met a stormy gaze.

"I was flying. No one was scheduled and…"

"Well things change," he snapped. Ginny honestly wasn't in the mood to argue. But the way he'd said it…it was just mean!

"Well you aren't on the schedule. You have no right to kick me off the Pitch," she replied in a crisp tone. "I can be here if I like," she flew a quick circle around him and stopped two inches from his face.

"Get. Off. NOW!" Draco said through gritted teeth, trying to keep his temper in check for the sake of getting out of the retched detentions with this Weasley. They'd already had two…the detentions hadn't actually been that bad, but he made up stories to keep rumors from spreading. The last thing he needed was a Weasel to soil his reputation. 

"Try. And. Make. Me." Ginny replied, using the same slow pace he had. His eyes narrowed.

"I'll knock you off your cheap hand-me down…"

"I seem to recall a certain Malfoy with the same model not to long back," she interrupted sharply. He locked eyes with hers, and she had to grip the broom tightly to keep her hands from shaking. Why was he affecting her like this? So he was attractive, big deal. There were a lot of attractive guys at Hogwarts. She didn't back down. She _wouldn't_ back down. But what he said next nearly made her fall off her broom in shock. Under his breath, soft words, almost inaudible to even the person meant to hear them came from his lips.

"Please, Ginny. Let my team have it this time…" What could she do? He was almost human when he spoke like this…could it be that Draco Malfoy wasn't completely inhuman demon spawn after all? She could barely nod her head. She slowly tilted her broom down and didn't break eye contact. But yet again, he surprised her by not sneering or smirking and looking away. He kept contact, then, when she hit the ground, a genuine grin broke out on his face and he turned.

"All right, Team," he barked. "This season, I'm captain again. But this year we will be perfect…" That was all Ginny heard before she'd gotten too far away to be in range of his voice. Ginny couldn't help but smile. Draco sounded like the old Gryffindor Captain, Oliver Wood. She shook her head and went inside. She was going to look forward to tomorrow's detention, though now, she had no idea why...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco watched her go until she disappeared from sight, forgetting his team practiced their newest routine. The newest Chaser had dropped the Quaffle. Draco heard the team groan and Draco's head snapped around and watched the boy sheepishly fly down and pick up the ball, grinning. Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"Trick!" he barked. The 6th Year boy turned sharply on his broom and stared defiantly at his Captain. He'd heard Draco was a weak Captain. And he had been. But oh how this 'Trick' was wrong to defy Malfoy this year. Draco zoomed up to the Chaser and got in his face. "Drop the ball like that during a game, and you'll be doing private sessions for me every night for a month!" he snarled. The boy had turned beet-red from embarrassment and was trembling at the sharp tone the Head Boy had directed at him.

Trick nodded meekly. Draco zoomed away and watched the team critically. The slightest fumble, even if it was saved, caused a shrill whistle to sound and the team to whine and complain as they knew they would have to start anew. They did this until it was getting dark, but Draco was persistent. He wouldn't give up. That is, until it started storming outside. He sighed and blew the whistle. He heard the team's moans as they thought they were starting over. They all looked at him and he waved his arms for them to go in. The sheets of rain were drenching and icy, not leaving any place looking warm and dry but for the castle.

"All right, I have detention with the bratty, poor…I mean, Weasel," Draco said half-heartedly insulting Ginny. The team, however, sniggered none-the-less. "So let's get inside-" The color drained from his face as he looked back outside and thought he saw a Bludger zooming around.

"Did anyone…" he paused to gain control of his anger. "Did anyone bother to bring in the balls?" The team's faces fell and Draco knew the answer. He sighed heavily. "Just go, I'll handle it,"

"But-" someone protested.

"I said go!" Draco snapped coldly. The time obliged this time and left quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_I wonder where Draco is…we have to do the detentions together or we both get in trouble, he knows that! Ginny was pacing around by the Dungeons. She saw one of his team members walking by._

"Evan!" she said, calling his name.

Trick looked up. "Yea?" he asked softly.

"Do you know where Draco is? We have detention…" Evan Trick's expression darkened at her mention of the 7th year Head Boy of Hogwarts. He'd been jealous of Draco for a long time, for several reasons. To list a few, his social standing, his school rank, his looks, his popularity…he was even jealous of Draco's detentions with Ginny. He'd had a secret crush on her since their first year, but being a Slytherin, he could never approach her…

"Hellooooo? Earth to Evan…." Ginny was waving her hand in front of his face. He shook his head.

"Ya', we just had some practice, but no one brought in the balls. The bloody idiot's probably still trying to catch them," he said grinning. Ginny's eyes narrowed at his humored expression, which instantly faded under her cold glare.

She whipped out her wand and sighed. "_Accio, Nimbus 2001!" she called loudly. __I wonder if it will work…after all, it did for Harry…She sensed Evan staring at her as she concentrated. And I'm going to look like a moron if it doesn't… Just then, a steady swishing sound was heard. Ginny wrapped her cloak tighter around her body and snatched the broomstick out of the air. She waved slightly to Evan and headed for the Locker Rooms to go to the Pitch_

(A/N: Well, there you go…what will happen? Dun dun dun…lol…please r & . Thanx for the reviews, but please read my author bio and review as I've asked [please please please pretty please? ] O ya, I keep forgetting to add a disclaimer. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter or the characters with the exception of Evan Trick, who is mine and only mine so make up your own or get my permission if you wanna use him in your story [not that anyone would…lol] And no more Chapters until I have at least…I dunno double what I have now for reviews…please, I know its mean but I want thoughts.)


	5. Info and Thank Yous

(A/N: All right, this is completely boring, stupid, pointless, and… well, you get the idea, if you don't review. Yup, that's all this is. A little "questions and answers" thingy, plus some thank yous to the reviewers, so skip it if you don't care, k?)

First of all, reviewers who've reviewed once so far (or is that all the luv I get? Just Kidding! Lol)

~* Harpsychord *~ Thanx for your review. You were the first one for this story! I hope you keep reading.

~* evil*grrl*13 *~ Only one to gimme luv on the title. Thanx a bunch J

~* Pyro Chika *~ Short and sweet. I award you the shortest review of all with a record of…drum roll please… 2 words! *crowd cheers enthusiastically* heehee…

~* Cheater531 *~ My first, and so far only, anonymous reviewer. (Do you know how long it took me to find the anonymous reviewers acceptance check box?!)

~* KuTiExAzNxAnGeL *~ Thanx for the review, and don't worry, I will actually give you guyz some more chappies!

And my next award, "The Pplz Who Have Reviewed More than Once or Gave Me Really Really Really Long Reviews" award! Yaaaaaaaaay!

~* gem *~ Mostest reviews on chappies 1, 2, and 3, but hey, what else can I expect from someone I know who's read just about EVERYTHING I've written, lol. Oh, and about Ginny's clothes, I like halter tops and flares! Lol…I just picked clothes I liked, not necessarily what they'd wear. Plus, she IS 16. 

~* ShortySC22  *~ And the second mostest reviews with…uh…2! Lol….Thanxy Bunches for the reviews.

~* peaceoutgrlmehi *~ Okay, deep breath now, and relax. Better? Lol. Okay, first, the Pyro/Kitty fic is from X-Men Evolution…was a very good show at one point, but it really didn't have an P/K, and I thought they'd be a good couple, so voila! I put them together. Next item…uh oh, confession time. All right all right, I wouldn't actually have punished pplz by not writing just cuz I didn't get lots of reviews. I'm a liar, I know, but I was just trying to get feedback, lol. Oh, what kind of broom Malfoy had actually comes up in the next chapter. And now, how Ginny and Evan know one another. They are in the same year, remember. Think now…what double classes do Gryffindors have with Slytherins, hm? Lets think…potions and care of magical creatures and I think one more but I don't know what it is…o well. But still, the point is, they've met, they've talked, they know one another well enough to know names. I mean, how do Harry and Draco know one another? Okay, the Masquerade IS coming up, and is mentioned in the next chapter. There's a surprise with the Triwizard too, and that should come up in 2 or 3 chapters. Book 5…I read it and I must say, I really disliked it. The characters were just so mean. I really like Harry less and less as the series goes on. Lol, thanx for the review, I like long ones. Thanx a lot! J

Updates will come soon. Thanx everyone for all the reads and reviews!


	6. Detentions and Decorations

The whipping cold hit Ginny's face roughly as she walked onto the pitch, barely able to see her own hands in front of her face. She jumped on her broom, gripping it tightly, and took off. She zoomed around and saw a glint of gold, obviously the Snitch. Ginny zoomed after it and pulled out her wand. She aimed carefully and her voice called, barely audible over the storm but enough for her wand.

"Imobulus!" she cried. The Snitch froze and Ginny thought of how illegal that spell would be during a game, grinning. She snatched it and stuck it in her pocket. She flew around, looking for Draco. Suddenly, a strong, focused gust of wind blew by her face, and she felt the soft brush of cloth against her face. She looked up and saw Draco. She urged her broom forward and grabbed the bristles of his Thunderstreak broomstick (the latest quality for speed, acceleration, and maneuverability).

Draco felt something tugging on his broom, but when he turned, the rain was right in his eyes and he couldn't see the person's face. "I thought I told you guys I would get the balls you bloody dolt!" he yelled over the rain. Ginny looked at him in confusion. She couldn't believe he was so selfish! Didn't he remember they both had detention?!

"Well, maybe I want to help you so we can make it to detention on time!" she yelled back. If Ginny could see his face, she would see a blank look upon it as he realized that it wasn't a player from his team that was stopping him from his mission to collect the balls.

"Gin- er –Weasel?" he asked. Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled her broom up so it was level with him. Then she hit him over the head. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"For calling me Weasel, now hurry up and help me find the Bludgers," she yelled. Ginny had seen that he already held the Quaffle tightly under his right arm. All that was left was the two, jet-black balls. She gulped as she thought of what these Bludgers intention would be, game or no game. She zoomed around until she saw a ball blot out one of the window lights. She pulled out her wand and tried to use the "Imobulus" charm. It didn't work. Then she remembered. Ever since Harry's second year, when the Bludger had gone haywire and went straight for Harry the entire time, the balls had all been charmed to resist all but two peoples magic: Professor Dumbledore and Madam Hooch.

The Bludger veered direction and went straight for her, hovering there on her broom. She tried to dodge it, but it hit her left arm full on. She winced in pain but did not forget why she was out her. Her arm wrapped around the ball and she held it close as she descended towards the Slytherin Locker Room where the box was. She placed the Bludger in and put the restraints on, then put the Snitch into its compartment behind the school seal. She started to mount again, but saw Draco coming at her with a Bludger in his hands. The Quaffle was being held by his feet. She took the Quaffle and put it away gingerly. Draco wrestled the second Bludger back into the box next to its twin. Draco looked at her.

"Thanks," he said softly. She nodded, but winced. She tried to suppress the cry of pain, but couldn't. Her right arm went to her left and she held it close. Draco looked at her, a mixture of worry and curiosity on his face. "What is it?"

"Nothing…just the Bludger hit my arm…" she replied through clenched teeth. She turned to go but he grabbed her cloak gently and pulled her back. He tugged at her cloak and let it fall. She shivered from the cold, but he was lost in examining her arm. It was bruised and cut slightly in the center. He tenderly stroked the area around the bruise and she shivered again.

"C'mon, Weasel, it's too cold for you to be out without a cloak on," he said and picked up the cloak. Little did he know, the shiver was actually from the sensations of his touch and had nothing to do with the temperature. She took it in her good arm. He dragged the Quidditch Balls inside following her. He left the balls by the door and reasoned that he'd bring them up later.

"You should go see Madam Pomfrey…" Draco said, looking at her arm.

"No," she said firmly. "We have a detention to get to," He nodded hesitantly as she strode off in the direction of McGonagall's class.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minerva McGonagall looked at the two soaking students as they ran up to her. "You two are late," she snapped. Draco groaned.

"It's all my fault, Professor," he said quickly before anyone else had a chance to speak. She raised her eyebrows. "If I hadn't wanted to collect the Quidditch balls by myself, Ginny wouldn't have had to come look for me and we wouldn't have been late," 

"No excuses. There was a time that you were supposed to be here, and you were late. I'm sorry, but I'm giving you an extra night on the original week assigned by Professor Dumbledore. Now hurry up and get inside my classroom," McGonagall said. The two rushed inside and she closed the door as she entered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mr. Malfoy, please try to keep your attentions on your task rather than Ms. Weasley," McGonagall's voice broke through Draco's thoughts. He looked up from his small daze. He sighed and continued to de-transfigure all of the half-mouse half-ink bottles that the second years had come up with. Ginny grinned at him. It wasn't a grin that she was really laughing _at_ him about him getting in trouble. It was a friendly smile they'd shared several times when one of them had gotten in trouble. 

Suddenly, Snape rushed in. "Minerva, Dumbledore wants you to come with us. The teachers are going out to search for some students…they were creeping around the Forbidden Forest and haven't returned to their Common Rooms yet. One student swore he saw them go in…" Snape glanced at the two.

"I am certain I can trust you two enough to finish your task and head to your Common Rooms…?" McGonagall said, looking sharply from Ginny to Draco. They both nodded and soon, the teachers were gone. Ginny sighed and let her wand roll out of her fingers and across the desk. She stretched and leaned back in her chair uncomfortably. She leaned back on two legs, balancing herself. 

"Having fun?" Draco said after a moment of this. Ginny, startled, lost her balance. Just as the chair was tipping, Draco was on his feet in one fluid motion. He grabbed her hands out of midair and pulled her up. The chair fell to the floor with a clatter and Ginny found herself in his arms. She looked up and caught his gaze. Draco swallowed hard at their close proximity, and drew back, placing her arms at her sides. He cleared his throat and picked up her chair for her.

He glanced over at her and saw her wincing. He realized he'd touched her arm, but she obviously didn't mind much, for she drew a quick, deep breath and shook her head.

He sat down quickly and began working again. Ginny looked over at him and murmured "Thanks,"

Not long later, Draco got irritated. He threw down his wand angrily. Ginny started and looked over at him. He glanced at her.

"This is so stupid! My fingers are blistering from all the bloody spells! Haven't they seen that we aren't tearing at one another's throats anymore?!" Draco's voice was beginning to give away too much emotion. He collapsed in his chair and took a deep breath. Ginny grinned.

"A bit testy, aren't we?" she teased. He glared at her.
    
    "I'm not testy!" he snapped. "Malfoys don't get testy!"
    
    "Right and my fathers just been made the Minister of Magic," Ginny muttered. His gaze snapped over to her.
    
    "Who do you think you are?!" he cried angrily. He wasn't really that upset with her, but his frustrations today were building, and he needed an outlet. Unfortunately, Ginny happened to be the only person around he could let out his rage on.
    
    "I think I'm Virginia Annabelle (A/N: is that right??) Weasley, pureblooded witch and direct descendent of Godric Gryffindor, but ya know, seeing as I'm a Weasley, maybe I'm wrong!" she snapped back, standing too. "You think just because you're a Malfoy you can just boss the rest of us around!"
    
    "That's where you're wrong, Weasley! Being a Malfoy has nothing to do with my pride and what makes me, as you say, boss people around is being Head Boy! It comes with the job description you know!" 
    
    "You're so impossible!" 
    
    "You're such a brat!"
    
    "What?! I am not!"
    
    "You are too!"
    
    "Am not times infinity!" Draco's eyes widened. He sputtered around for an answer. Ginny grinned smugly.
    
    "You know, you're so immature," he snapped.
    
    "You were doing it too!"
    
    "Just finish your work," he seethed coldly. Ginny glared at Draco. She sighed. She'd thought they were becoming…sort of friends…_Well, ya know what they say, she thought. __Two steps forward, one step back…_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Draco, do you really think you have a chance of being the Hogwart's Champion?" Pansy asked skeptically. Draco rolled his eyes. He'd just barely survived the previous night of detention with Ginny. The two of them had separated, both still seething over their little fight.

"Gee, thanks for the support, _Sweetie," he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Pansy made a face at him. _

"No problem," Pansy scoffed. She quickly scrawled down her own information and dropped it into the Goblet. Draco cleared his throat loudly.

"And what about you? You think _you stand a chance?" Draco asked, laughing. Pansy's eyes narrowed._

"I'm entering for laughs," Pansy said squarely, shrugging her shoulders and tossing her hair over her shoulder. Some of the Slytherin boys stopped their discussion and stared at her, and she flashed them a quick smile. Draco's lips curled in disgust. "You?"

"Same. Just for the kicks..." Draco muttered. He _was_ actually doing it for a laugh. He knew he wouldn't be chosen…but there was always that little side of him that wanted to play hero. That side that just wanted to be the Champion of his school, the one everyone cheered for…

Draco's thoughts were interrupted by a young Ravenclaw who'd attempted the same Aging Charms the Weasley's had. He had a beard, and all the students were roaring with laughter. Draco rolled his eyes and made a pathway through the crowd by flashing his Head Boy badge.

"Come on," he said, snatching the boys arm. He half-dragged him to the Hospital Wing. He knocked a gloved hand (only the best dragon hide) on the door, and was met by a startled looking Ginny. She looked at him in confusion, but then saw the boy. She held out her hand. The boy was at first hesitant, then took it.

"Will I get in trouble?" he asked. Ginny shook her head, and the sweetest smile spread on her face. Instantly, the boy felt as though he should explain. "I wanted to win the prize money…my parents don't have much and aren't doing too well…and…and…" Tears began to slide down his cheeks in shame and embarrassment. Ginny handed the boy over to Madam Pomfrey, who was less than enthusiastic to see the bearded child.

"Thanks for bringing him up, Draco," Ginny said. She froze as she realized what she'd said. She turned and met his puzzled expression. She'd called him 'Draco.' 

"Erm…see you in detention…er…Ginny," he replied hesitantly. She smiled and waved her hand dismissively. Obediently, he left, closing the door gently behind him. Why had she called him Draco?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco was wondering the same thing as he walked down the halls towards the Common Room. Instantly he became cocky and thought, _Poor Weasel__. Probably falling for me. After all, I am charming, rich, and attractive…_ A smirk appeared on his face and he muttered the password (Serpiente) and strode into the Common Room. 

Trick sensed Draco's arrogance as he stepped into the room and rolled his eyes. He watched the older boy stride by with such confidence that Trick felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in dislike. He shook his head and got absorbed in his sister's letter about her support for him being the Hogwart's Triwizard Champion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ginny tried to focus and be a help to Madam Pomfrey, but ended up being more of a nuisance. Madam Pomfrey noticed too, and looked at Ginny concernedly.

"Ginny, you're usually patient and focused. Is something wrong? Do you feel ill?" she asked. Ginny smiled and shook her head.

"Just a bit tired, I 'spose. May I go relax? I have detention tonight…" Madam Pomfrey smiled and nodded.

"You'll need all the rest you can get, working with that dreadful Malfoy boy," she muttered.

"He isn't so awful," Ginny said softly before she could stop herself. She didn't turn around and face the old nurse, but pulled on her coat. She could feel Madam Pomfrey's eyes on her. "I'll see you tomorrow then," Ginny called.

"Good night, Ginny,"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    
    "Tonight, ye two will be helpin' me design the decorations for the Halloween Masquerade Ball," Hagrid said gruffly. Ginny smiled. She already knew what she was going as. Draco glanced over at her and found himself yet again entranced by her beauty as her eyes sparkled. She was lost in thoughts of the Ball, this he knew, and he hoped he would be able to avoid her that night. She felt his eyes upon her and looked over. She blushed deeply as she found him staring and looked back at Hagrid. His eyes widened. It was times like these that all of their fights seemed so petty and unimportant. Why did they bicker so?
    
    Ginny lifted her wand and attempted the spell to create the silvery whisps of smoke that formed cats and would dodge around the floor, gliding through people and creating a mist whenever touched. Her cat was a faint outline that disappeared within seconds. Her brow furrowed and she drew up her sleeves and tried again. It took her only three tries to master the Silver Cat Ghost spell. Draco looked through the book and searched for a spell that was simple for him. He chose the Enchanted Sparkles spell. He flicked his wand and a small, glowing orb hovered in the air. He wondered how to test it. He glanced down at the page and saw just how. He grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her over to him. Her eyes widened as she found herself yet again in his arms. He was grinning as sparkles started shooting out from the orb. Ginny laughed. This was going to be a wonderful Ball.
    
    (A/N: Geez guyz, it's been forever! I haven't gotten a review on this story in a while and I kinda just didn't feel like writing, but I'm back now!! Yaaay! All right, now to update the other two stories…)


	7. A Nightmare Returned

(A/N: Hey, I got tons of reviews when I updated, so I'm gonna do it again! Thanks to all of you! You guyz rock J Oh, and for anyone who cares, I got 4th in my most recent race, only because the judges sucked butt and made two crappy calls on me, so I got sent to the back, both times cuz of the same kid. Ah well, didn't have a great weekend anyway. Life goes on. I'll do better next week, I'm moving up so I go faster! Vroom vroom! Ahem, anywayz, on with the show!)

Ginny stormed down to the Great Hall for supper, not quite wanting to talk to anyone. Even Colin, her best friend, backed away when he saw her fuming. The only person who wasn't intelligent enough to back away seemed to be Draco Malfoy. He too had had a bad day. Who wouldn't when your so-called father sends you a letter that basically demeans everything you thought you did right, and further lowers and crushes even the slightest thing you did wrong. He was appallingly nasty to everyone, even those closest to him. When he saw Ginny, every thought of her being even slightly his friend faded from his mind. He wanted to be a jerk. He wanted to be a prat. He wanted her to yell and scream, and he wanted to yell and scream right back at her. He sauntered up to her and stopped her in her tracks.

"What the hell do you want?" she snapped bitterly.

"Nothing, just noticing the colorful language. Not very ladylike, but hey, its not like growing up with an _impossible_ number of brothers you could know what's ladylike. You sure you're even female?" He had no idea how much his comments hurt. She didn't even think. Her hand flew out, and she slapped him with all the force she could muster. His head snapped to the side from the force. Tears burned her eyes. She didn't even say anything as she turned and ran from the Great Hall. He looked bewildered, his hair falling in his face slightly as it came out from the perfected styling. He sighed heavily and walked out, flashing a forced smirk at his table as he went. Slytherins snickered slightly. Once liberated from the curious eyes of his peers, Draco ran out the swinging front doors that had obviously recently freed the youngest Weasley from the torments of the school.

"Ginny? Gin? C'mon, Gin, I'm sorry! Ya know I didn't mean it!" he called as he searched for her. He ran around a sharp corner of the school where the moon cast a deep shadow, not bothering to look back. He sighed deeply, doing things Malfoys didn't do, such as letting his head lower and his shoulders sag.

Ginny saw the platinum-haired boy and leaned closer to the wall. Unfortunately, she failed to keep completely quiet when she let out a slight sob. Draco spun around.

"Ginny! I'm so sorry! I…I…I don't know what came over me…" he said, pleading for her forgiveness.

"I think we should go back to…" she paused and took a large breath "how we were before…when you were a Malfoy and I was a Weasley…:" It hurt. To hear her say these words was down-right painful.

"Ginny…"

"I'm through with getting hurt by people like you!" she cried. With that, she turned and fled, not even bothering to look back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_"Giiiiiinny," a voice hissed. She felt the herself begin to tremble. It was him. She knew it was him. "Giiiiiinny, why did you leave me, Ginny? You left me…for him." Him? Him who? Her mind was racing. "You are mine, Ginny, my sweet." She felt an icy hand brush her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes. She knew where she was. The room was damp and palely lit with flickering green torches on the walls. She shivered. She wasn't his! As if echoing her thoughts, she heard a voice._

_"She isn't yours! She will never be yours!" Draco? She looked over and saw him._

_"Him…why him?__ You left me for him!" Riddle's voice wasn't the calm, patient one she usually heard. He was desperate, shrill. Ginny realized what he meant. He had thought that she had fallen in love with Draco and had chosen the youngest Malfoy over him. Riddle was jealous. Come to think of it, since her and Draco had become close, she hadn't had one of these dreams. But now, she was leaving him. And now Riddle was taking this opportunity to fill the hole in Ginny's heart that was where Draco had been. She knew what would happen if Draco attacked Riddle. He would retaliate. Call his snake. Something to overpower his enemy. She had to distract her capturer._

_"Tom…oh, Tom, it's you I want! Only you!" she cried. She threw her arms around Tom's neck and glanced over his shoulder at Draco. Did he understand her intent?. Riddle's arms encircled Ginny. He kissed her neck. She could almost feel Draco's rage from where she was as he screamed a curse. But before the curse hit, a flash of white light filtered into the room. They all covered their eyes…_

"Ginny!" Draco cried as he flew up in head bead, covered yet again in that icy sweat. Though he only wore a pair of pajama bottoms, he felt ablaze. He pulled off his covers and swung his legs out of bed, He rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He ran his fingers through his hair. Why was this happening to him?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the same time, Ginny gasped and called out for Draco. She knew. It was him that protected her, but she refused to believe it. She simply refused. She pulled her pillow close to her and hugged it closely. She couldn't stand the thought of Tom having her again. She was trembling. She couldn't stay in this room. She grabbed a soft, silky robe and threw it over her light, nearly see-through lavender nightgown. She tied the front loosely and pulled on some matching slippers. She went down the stairs to the Common Room and down to the bottom of the Grand Staircase. She sat on the bottom step, sobbing slightly. She tensed when she heard footsteps. She looked up slowly and gasped at who stood before her.

(A/N: Sorry, the end was kinda rushed. I'm trying to update all my stories. Please review! Talk to ya guyz lata!)


	8. She's In Love

(A/N: Sorry that last chappie was so rushed, I'll work harder on this one I promise! Just keep up the reviews, and crunchy and good with ket, please email me, I want to talk to you about something I found rather amusing about your review…k? Now, without further ado, I present to you my next part to this very messed up piece of fic I call writing)

Ginny's eyes widened. No. It couldn't be him. It was impossible! He was DEAD!!

"Ginny, how I've longed to hold you once again," Tom Marvolo Riddle said, taking a step closer to her. Ginny whimpered and scuttled up a few steps. He smiled that handsome smile that made her shudder in fear. She took a deep, steadying breath.

"Tom, leave me alone!" she cried angrily. "How are you here?! You died! You are dead! Harry killed you! I saw you die! You have haunted my dreams, but you cannot be…" Ginny paused, stopping to think, then she chuckled slightly and stood. "That's what this is, isn't it? A dream? It isn't real at all," Ginny laughed musically to herself. Riddle's eyes narrowed. He grabbed her arms and pushed her against one of the cold, stone walls and kissed her with bruising force. It hurt. It wasn't a dream. Tears streamed down Ginny's face as she realized this. She tried to call out for him to stop, but he took the opportunity of her opening her mouth and deepened the kiss. Ginny couldn't stand it. His hot breath against hers made her sickened, and she couldn't bear how he attempted to make his kiss gentle and loving. It was absolutely nauseating. She kicked him in the shin and he drew back in shock and pain. She panted and touched her swollen lips, feeling how tender they were.

"HOW ARE YOU HERE?!" she half-screamed. His eyes followed her closely, keeping a clear distance of her legs.

"Ginny, those dreams you've been having…you're allowing me access to the school through dreams. By connecting me to you, I've been able to slowly take bits of magical energy from students. Haven't you seen them? Slightly tired in appearance and character? Rather than drain one person-" he paused as she winced, a wicked smile appearing on his cold, pale face "-I've found it easier to take bits from several. I'm almost complete. Then, Voldemort will return from the dead…"  
  


"How did you know…"

"That my future self died? Dreams, Ginny, dreams. And memories. Everyone fears he will 'return from the grave.' It's all too obvious that I was defeated. But now I'm younger, faster, just as powerful, and less naïve. Soon, Ginny, I will rise again, and you will be by my side, as my queen…"

"I doubt that will happen." Ginny tensed from her spot against the wall. "Ginny will never submit to being your _queen_," It was Malfoy. He spat his words viciously before he rushed over to her and stood between her and Riddle. Tom scoffed. Ginny stared at Draco, wanting so badly to be angry with him from before, wanting to spite him and hate him, and most of all, wanting to stop falling for him. But with him at this proximity, it seemed like none of her wishes would come true.

"Silly, silly boy…why do you defy me? I am your lord. Your father bares my mark and the children of those who bare the mark are instantly pledged to me," Tom's words seemed to cut Draco deep, for he flinched slightly but held his ground.

"Your days of terror and reign have long since ended; leave us now!" Draco's words had to be forced out. What Riddle said was true. He had been promised as a loyal servant to the Dark Lord at his birth. He was shocked to find a set of arms encircle his waist from behind and locking together. He knew it was Ginny, and her touch alone gave him strength and courage. She leaned her head against his back and he could feel her quaking against him. She was terrified. He drew his wand in his right hand and pointed it at Riddle, who, unarmed, took a step back. His left hand strayed down to where hers rested upon his waist and covered both with his own. As he did this, he stroked them with his thumb.

Ginny stifled her gasp as his caress sent a million and one sensations through her body. It was an all new experience. Sure, she'd had other boyfriends who'd caressed her hand in the same way, but none had managed to match the effect Draco's light skim was having on her. She knew it was supposed to be encouragement, as one would give a friend, but she hoped and prayed there could be something more. She moaned slightly, while lost in her thoughts, unable to keep it quiet without focus. Instantly her face blushed, but Draco's steady movements did not cease.  Perhaps he had not heard…? She did not want him to know she had feelings for him. What he was doing should have been strictly comfort, nothing more. But the feeling, the inexplicable, unrivaled feeling curved her thoughts.

Oh, but how wrong she was. He had heard, and couldn't help but give in to the small smile tugging at his lips. But his heart was pounding as he realized that he could make someone as wonderful and amazing as Virginia Weasley cry out. Was it love? Or simply lust? He had to know. It would eat him. No, correction, it was already eating away at him.

Tom raged with jealous, his face burning with rage. He hissed under his breath at the sound of more footsteps.

"Thomas Riddle!" a heavily accented voice called. He turned to see Professor McGonagall fast approaching. He turned to run but Draco wasn't ready to let Ginny's attacker escape scotch-free.

Draco fired thin, black cords out of his wand, hitting his target dead-on. Riddle was instantly bound around his hands and feet. Dumbledore and Snape, along with other Hogwart's staff were soon rounding the corner. 

"I did not work this hard to be re-captured!" he hisses. He closes his eyes and all present in the room stare, horrified, as Tom's body shifts and writhes on the floor, losing its fleshy-pinkness and becoming a pale green, and then shifting to a rich, emerald green. He became smaller, his limbs molding into one long body and black stripes appeared along the scaly back. His pupils became slits and the whites of his eyes changed to a golden, gleaming yellow. Fangs appeared where his canines were and his other teeth disappeared. A forked-tongue darted out, smelling there air. The bindings fell to the floor, and the snake that was the un-registered Animagi form of Tom Marvolo Riddle slithered away before anyone could react. 

Throughout the change, Draco had turned and drawn Ginny into his arms, head turned as he watched the horrific sight. Ginny realized how close Draco held her as he stroked the ends of her long hair and massaged her back in small, rhythmetic circles. She looked up into Draco's eyes and he brushed a stray tendril of hair from her face. How he longed to kiss her. Her lips parted slightly, and he almost couldn't contain himself. Just that small movement pushed him to the edge of his endurance.

_I love him…_her mind realized, the thought echoing throughout the deep chambers. How long had she loved him? How long had she longed for his love in return? She felt as though a deep secret she'd been keeping for the longest time was finally exposed. The book shop. In first year. That was when she'd first laid eyes upon him, thinking how angelic he looked with his silver-white hair and his eyes that could match a stormy sky. It could have been love at first sight if only he hadn't made that comment about her and Harry. She had loved him that day. She denied it in her mind, but her heart knew better. It had waited patiently, as though knowing one day she would be ready to accept the truth. And that day had finally come.

"Keep me safe, Draco," she said as she leaned her head against his chest, allowing his arms to become her sanctuary. She realized just how pointless it was to resist him, to resist anything about him.

"I will, Love, I will," he vowed, embracing her tightly. He would protect her. With his life if need be. If only she loved him back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning was awkward and skittish. The entire school was on high alert, everyone looking over their shoulders, making sure a snake wasn't there. Lavender Brown screamed bloody murder and passed out by the lake when she saw a harmless Garter Snake slithered by. People were on edge, the thought of Voldemort returning sending everyone into an over-protective state. 

Ginny wasn't nervous. She wasn't scared either. She always felt like someone was watching over her, protecting her, ready to be there if ever danger threatened. And she did have someone watching over her. Draco was always aware of where she was, even when they were apart. They had some kind of weird bond now. They hadn't spoken since last night when they had parted, both nervous and unable to speak to one another, too afraid that their hearts were not in the same place as each others. Harry had heard rumors of what happened, and was walking with Ron and Hermione over to Ginny to see once and for all if she was really doing what they'd heard. Ginny saw them and groaned. This wasn't going to be a pleasant morning.


	9. But Does She Want Me Too?

Ginny stormed from the castle's main hall, not even listening to Ron shouting as he was being physically restrained by Hermione and Harry. Who did he think he was, telling her off for being out of the common room and snapping at her about the fact that she'd been in _Malfoy's arms. Ooh! She could just hit him! She sat down for lunch, as the blow-out had lasted most of the morning. She ate quietly on this mild Saturday, thinking about what she would do later. She ignored Ron when he came in, red in the face, but with Hermione whispering things in his ear, Ginny wasn't sure if the colored tint on his cheeks was from anger of pleased embarrassment. She rolled her eyes.  She tried to focus on her lunch but found the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. She looked up and saw Draco instantly looking away, pretending nothing at all had happened. She smiled to herself and finished her lunch._

She headed up to the library and finished her homework. She pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment, trying hard to focus on the Herbology assignment, but to no avail. Her thoughts continued to drift to a certain silver-eyed serpent who had captured her heart. She shook her head, tossing all thoughts and hopes of romantics with a Malfoy. There were too many things that would separate them, that would work to keep them separated. She realized it was pointless to attempt any work and put away the assignment, knowing she would probably end up doing it late Sunday night. She looked out the library window and found the sun starting to fall into the west. It was afternoon. She had to check in at the hospital wing anyways. She hadn't checked in with Madam Pomfrey in a while. She also remembered, with disdain, her detention. They were almost over, but somewhere in her heart, she knew she would miss those long, late-night hours of working with the heir to one of the most notorious wizard families in all of Europe. She went up to the hospital wing silently, listening to her footsteps echo on the cold, brick floor of the castle.

Once she arrived, she was slightly surprised to find the entire wing empty. There wasn't a patient nor was there Madame Pomfrey anywhere to be found. She left a quick note saying that she'd visited but found no one around and that if there was anything to be done or anything the nurse needed help with, simply owl her. She left quickly, lost in a daydream and ran into someone. She found herself looking at Pansy Parkinson and her crew of Slytherin girls. She quickly shoved by but not before hearing Pansy's threat.

"Weasel! You had better back off from Draco!" Ginny turned slowly to face her adversary.

"And why should I?" Ginny snapped bitterly. Pansy blanched. Was this pathetic Weasley actually defying her over the one Slytherin that should be the younger girl's worst enemy?

"He's mine," Pansy replied hotly through gritted teeth.

"Since when?" Ginny asked innocently.

"Since he always has been!" Pansy growled, growing flustered.

"Wow, I guess that's going to change soon…" Ginny said, smirking and turning away. She practically bounced away, enjoying the look of confusion on Pansy's face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco watched the entire scene, both shocked and delighted. He also had an uneasy feeling. Had Ginny been speaking of herself when she indicated a change in Pansy's and his relationship? He couldn't take not knowing. All these thoughts were flooding his mind; he had to clear them away. He slipped outside the castle, crunching through the few inches of snow they had received. The sun was setting quickly, casting a sparkling, orange glow on the ice crystals around him. He sat below a thick-branched pine tree that still remained dry beneath it. The pine needles that had fallen were soft and comfortable. He leaned against the tree in the warmth of his expensive, new black cloak and drifted into a dream-like state with thoughts of only a stunning red-head that he wished knew how he felt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ginny walked outside, inhaling the icy-cool freshness of the winter air around her. She exhaled, her breath crystallizing into a puff of steam in the below-freezing weather. Night time had already fallen at Hogwarts and she looked up. The stars were blotched out by clouds. Gentle snowflakes drifted from the sky as Ginny walked to a large pine tree and sat down, shivering. The instant she did, the scent of expensive, spicy cologne drifted to her nose. She looked over and saw Malfoy, staring at her nervously. She looked at him with slight perplexity at both the fact that he was out here and the curious look he was giving her. She shivered again, her teeth chattering. Her cloak wasn't thick, and she'd forgotten her gloves.

"Are you cold, Ginny?" he asked softly. Her eyes met his slowly, and she nodded, swallowing hard. He unbuttoned and untied his cloak, opening one side of it slightly. "It's big enough for two if you don't mind sharing…" Ginny's mouth dropped open. "Or you can just take it, I'm used to the cold," he finished quickly. She smiled at his quick comment. She moved over to him and slid in the open side he'd offered, causing him to stop trying to take the cloak off. She snuggled against his warm, black sweatshirt he'd worn beneath. She pressed her head against his chest and could almost swear she felt his heartbeat pick up.

"Thank you," she murmured. He'd frozen, then slowly shrugged back into the coat and tugged her closer. She splayed her hand on his chest, holding him tightly. His breath caught in his throat at her slight action. He knew she was only girl who had him reacting like this. And damn it, did her hair have to give off the scent of strawberries? He could feel himself losing control of his hormones and he clenched his fists. Ginny noticed this small action and snuggled closer.

"Draco?" Her voice was too innocent as she spoke to him.

"Hm?" he asked, fighting terribly with himself to remain in control.

"Why are you out here?" It was the question he didn't want to answer, for if he told her the truth, he would be giving away his feelings, something he'd been trained his entire life not to do. Yet he did not want to lie to her. He inhaled deeply as he contemplated his response.

"I was thinking of…someone," She shifted slightly and tilted her neck back to look up at him, obviously expecting him to elaborate. When he didn't, she half-frowned.

"Who?" she asked, saying exactly what he knew she was going to say. He swallowed hard.

"You," he croaked. She tensed in his arms.

"M-me? What about me?"

"I…"

"VIRGINIA WEASLEY! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Ginny groaned. Ron. Juuuuust great. "I SWEAR IF I FIND YOU WITH MALFOY…" Her eyes widened. She jumped up furiously. He had just crossed the line. She stormed out from under the tree, finding the source of the voice easily. Draco watched her go. He got up and fixed his cloak, smoothing it. He ran his fingers through his hair, letting some fall in his face. He brushed the needles of his cloak and pants. 

"What the bloody hell do you want?!"

"Mum sent this for you," he said, shoving the letter in her hand. She glared defiantly at him.

"All right then, go! I have what you wanted to give me!" Ron opened his mouth as if to say something but turned and went back into the castle, obviously trying to contain his anger. 

Ginny turned when she sensed someone behind her. Draco leaned down near her ear and whispered in a husky voice, "I'll see you in detention…" His warm breath on her ear caused chills to run down her spine. He walked past, leaving her there with her letter from her mother in hand. She sat on the steps to the main entrance and opened the seal on the letter. She unfolded it carefully.

'Ginny,

            I've heard what happened and I'm just owling to check up on you, dear. Your brother informed me that you were saved by the youngest Malfoy (with a more inappropriate choice of colorful words that can only come from an older brother watching out for his baby sister). For protecting you from the younger embodiment of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself, I've sent Draco a letter along with a tin of mini-chocolate chip cookies, freshly baked. Oh I do hope I remembered his name properly, I wasn't quite sure of it. Do apologize to him for me if it is wrong. Well, owl me back so telling me how you are.

                        Love Always,

                               Mum'

Ginny groaned. "She sent him cookies?" She ran into the castle and headed for the dungeons. She raced up and down the walls, searching for some indication of where the Slytherin Common Room might be. There she found Trick heading down the halls and prayed he was in a good mood.

"Evan! Please, will you help me?!" she called as she run up to him, breathing heavily.

"Ya, sure, what is it?"

"I…okay, this is gonna sound weird, but I need you to get me into your Common Room,"

"What?! I can't do that, Ginny!"

"Please! I need to get in there! I have something to discuss with the Head Boy! It's a very important matter…and no it can't wait!" she cut him off, knowing what his protest would be. He took a deep breath and relented.

"All right, but close your eyes and cover your ears," he said. She did as she was told and he led her along. Soon she felt a tap on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and removed her hands to find herself inside the Slytherin Common Room. She inhaled sharply. It wasn't at all like the Gryffindor's. There was no carpet, but instead the cool brick that was also the halls for the entire castle. Elegant furniture decorated the place with gorgeously patterned rugs. Obviously Salazar Slytherin wanted nothing but the best for his own.

"Malfoy!" Trick called throughout the empty Common Room. This brought Ginny's attention to one of the two sets of staircases. At the top there were two things: a hallway that Ginny assumed led to the a classy door with the letters HB printed in bold letters on it. It creaked open slowly and Draco appeared, staring at a piece of paper in his right hand and holding a tin in his left. Ginny sighed inwardly. She was too late. She watched Draco. His ears were pink with the embarrassment of a modest hero, and she saw his eyes flick to the tin, then back to the letter.

"What is it?" he murmured without looking from the sheet and walking down the stairs.

"Weasley wants to see you," Trick said. Draco's eyes instantly flashed up. He shoved the letter into his pocket quickly.

"Ginny," he breathed. Trick raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" Draco asked evenly.

"Well I was trying to interevene…but I was obviously to late," she said, indicating the tin of cookies.

"I'm glad you didn't. You see, there's something your mother gave me permission…correction, _wanted_ me to do. And I'd quite rather like to do it. Not now, of course, for that would kill the element of surprise. Plus, who would want to get rid of these delightful cookies?" he asked as he popped one into his mouth. Ginny stared at him. "Oh come off it you suck up, we have detention," Ginny said, grabbing Draco's arm and half-dragging him out the door as he continued to eat the cookies.


	10. Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

(A/N: Geez guyz, I'm sorry it's been so long. I'll try to update my other story as well. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. Here comes my Christmassy chapter for this story. I know, I know, a bit late, right? Well, ya know what they say, better late than never)

Disclaimer: I only on the plot and that's all I promise…oh, and Evan Trick, but the rest are all from the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling!

"Oh come on, Draco, either stop munching on those bloody cookies or give me one!" Ginny's voice echoed in the dungeons of Snape's room. He looked over at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Hm…let me think about it…um, no," he said, popping another cookie in his mouth. They had been bottling a potion for the Masquerade Ball that would give the room a sort of  'floating' sensation to it. It apparently had a way of drugging the senses into a comfortable, calm state, keeping all those involved from knowing who they were with.

"Ugh! You insufferable prat! Didn't your mother ever teach you to share?"

"No," he said simply. Snape had left the room for a moment and would return soon. They had finished only moments after they left and were now sitting comfortably, arguing over the tin of cookies. Ginny exhaled irritatedly and rolled her eyes. A moment later, Snape entered the room. He checked each bottle, found it to his satisfaction, and dismissed the two.

Ginny and Draco walked out of the room quietly, Draco still eating. Ginny waited until he seemed greatly distracted, grabbed the tin, and ran. Draco gaped in surprise for a moment before taking off after her. She laughed as she ran and looked over her shoulder, only to find him gaining. She bounded back outside, the only place she could think of to take refuge from her pursuer. She almost made it away to, except she tripped when the snow she was so sure would hold her sunk from beneath her, pulling her left foot in. She fell, and the tin's lid, which was on a hinge, snapped shut as she fell, saving the cookies within. Draco stood over her triumphantly and bent down, grabbing the cookies. He put them in his bag and looked at Ginny, her hair sparkling from the falling snow, her cheeks flushed from running and the cold, and her hand that she held out for him to help her up with. He smirked, shaking his head, but once he took her hand, he instantly regretted it; he realized her plan only a moment too late. She pulled him down, intending for him to go beside her, but to her initial dismay (but soon after delight), he fell half on top of her, propped up gracefully on one elbow. He looked at her, breathing hard and leaned down. He hesitated, drawing back an inch and looking slightly away, then turning again towards her, tilting his head slightly and brushing his lips with hers experimentally. He drew back only millimeters but lingered, waiting for her reaction, expecting pure disgust. When it did not come, he looked into her honey-brown eyes. They were wide and slightly parted. Her hands slid up to his cloak collar and pulled him back down. His lips met hers again, this time, for a longer time.

It was chaste and innocent at first, not at all typical for Draco, but he was savoring every moment. Then, his lips parted, and his tongue slipped out, outlining her lips. She gasped slightly in surprise. He took the opportunity and slid his tongue into her slightly parted lips, but then drew back, as if testing for acceptance. Hesitantly, she allowed her lips to part and let him explore her mouth without drawing back as she did with many of her boyfriends after only moments. Kisses shared with others never seemed as intimate and soon grew boring. He had the faint air of wine on his breath, probably from a Christmas Eve party he had been at earlier that evening. She was getting drunk off of it, off of him in general. Her mind was spinning and it took a bit for her to realize she was kissing a Malfoy. She cried out and pushed him away slightly. He drew back willingly, another unusual thing for him to do. She sat up, breathing heavily and looked at him. He had a slightly dazed look on his face.

"Draco, we can't," she said.

"We can't," he agreed, but even as he did so, he found himself leaning closer to her again.

"We…can't…" she breathed as he met her lips again. This time, she did not wait for him. She leaned closer to him, pulling herself onto him and pushing him down, pinning him into the snow. She deepened the kiss first, and it was his turn to be surprised by her. It was only momentary though; he soon had plunged his hands into her cascading waves of red hair. This time, their parting was not because either of them came to their senses. Hagrid's dog, Fang, came bounding up to them, barking happily. They jumped apart guiltily and stood. Soon, Hagrid came over the hill too.

"'Lo, Ginny…erm…_Malfoy_," he said gruffly.

"Hagrid," Draco returned.

"Hello Hagrid," Ginny said, falsely cheerful.

"'Ave yeh two been fightin'? Yeh look like yeh've been through hell an' back," Ginny smiled.

"Just a small argument, no worries, we've sorted it out," Draco glanced at her, but remained silent. An awkward silence fell over them.

"Here's Fang, Hagrid," Ginny piped in order to break it.

"Thanks, Ginny…Er, yeh two better be off ter bed or Filch'll 'ave yer 'eads," he said, taking Fang and leaving. "'Night, Ginny," he called over his shoulder.

"Night, Hagrid!" she called back. "Um…he's right, we better be off,"

"Ginny…"

"No, I don't want detention…"

"Ginny, what just happened?"

"I…I don't know…good night, Draco…" she said quickly. With that, she left as quickly as she could.

"Sweet dreams…Love…" he said quietly. Words Ginny should not have been able to hear above the wind and with the low tones he had said them in were heard quite loudly and clearly. She sighed. This would be a sleepless night, and no one could help her through it. She knew, deep down in her heart, she would be able to tell no one…

(A/N: Well? Good? Bad? Rewrite? C'mon, opinions! Luv ya guyz, gimme your thoughts and ideas and such! Well, ttfn!!) 


	11. Love Potion No 14

(A/N: Oh man, busy-ness. Okay, I'm back, and I'm updating. I also might have a new fic! –expects cheers but gets only glares of anger from people who expected story updates on already created fics- Ack, I know, I know, don't worry, I'm updating all of these first…)

Detention with Snape would have probably been ten times worse for Ginny if Draco had not been there to coax the potion's master into giving them a simple task. Organizing Snape's potion closet, though not something to be taken lightly, was by far greater than cleaning the dungeon entirely, as Ginny had gathered had been Snape's original plan from the cleaning supplies in the corner of the room.

Snape sent them into the closet and sat out at his desk grading papers with infamous red ink. Just as soon as he'd finished the first paper, a second year Ravenclaw scuttled into the room. "Professor Snape?" he asked gently.

"What is it?" he snapped irritably.

"I was just…well I was wondering if you would…um…give me extra lessons in potions. You see, I'm failing and-"

"Yes, Anderson, I'm quite aware of you're poor grades, not only in my class but in…" he hesitated and looked at the closet door. He rose and leaned in. "I'm meeting with a student to discuss private affairs so I shall be closing the door; wait patiently until I open it again to come out," he instructed sharply. Ginny nodded her head meekly under his cold stare and Draco replied with a 'Yes, Sir.' The door clicked shut and Ginny let her breath, which had caught in her throat, escape in one long sigh. Draco glanced over at her, watching the gorgeous red hair tumble over her shoulders, and her honey brown eyes dart around the different shelves of the closet.

The closet was probably about seven feet tall and went back maybe ten feet. The walls were lined with eight shelves, each full of random bottles. Beneath the bottles were small pieces of parchment that told what was within the vials. They went to furthest wall in the closet and began there. They pulled each potion off of the shelf, careful to keep the labels under their proper bottles. Ginny was beginning to get infuriated with the small slips of paper.

They arranged the bottles by type of potion and, after that, alphabetically. The process was slow and was taking far longer than Ginny had planned. After they had gotten through the back wall, Ginny looked around. Only about twenty more feet worth of this. She sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her hair, shaking it brusquely behind her shoulders. She paused as she thought about last night.

_She was sitting on her bed, hugging Toastie, her old scruffy teddy bear. It was gray and was actually missing one eye; there was actually an 'X' where the eye had once been. She was thinking about the passionate kiss. After she had gotten back to the Common Room, she had glided like a ghost by everyone, simply waving and not responding to their words. She had changed into a pair of pale blue, plaid, cotton pajama bottoms as well as a tight blue spaghetti-strap tank-top to match. She then had pulled on the fluffy, large white robe she had for when she was simply too cold, and her slippers. On the left slipper was sewn a star that sparkled and on the right a moon that winked._

_Ginny's eyes shot up when she heard the door to her room creak open and saw a person slip in. She recognized her bushy-haired friend as Hermione._

_"Gin, is something the matter?" Hermione asked with concern in her voice. Ginny shook her head instantly and faked a smile._

_"Oh come on, Gin, maybe the boys can't see it but I can. That sparkle you have in your eyes, the way you can't stop smiling…you're in love!"_

_Love?!__ Surely not. It was Draco Malfoy, simply the most infuriating boy ever to come into her life. She hated the way he smirked, the way he acted so superior…or did she? Whenever he smirked at her, her heart pounded wildly; whenever he acted superior, it made Ginny giddy. Usually boys were so passive aggressive, afraid of offending her. They'd all treat her as though she were a porcelain doll, meant only to admire, not to touch, for fear they might break her. He didn't do that to her. When he had kissed her, he had unleashed everything. He hadn't waited for her to make the move. He knew what he wanted and he went for it. Just like her. They were so alike, and yet so very different._

_"I can tell you do…that thoughtful look in your eyes…how can you possibly even deny it? I can tell you're thinking of him right now!" Hermione jumped onto the bed. "Well? Does he know you like him?"_

_"Sort of…" Ginny murmured, barely believing she was admitting this to herself, let alone Hermione. Hermione raised a skeptical eyebrow._

_"Sort of…? How can he 'sort of' know?"_

_"I…well…he kissed me…and then I kissed him…"_

_"GINNY! YOU _KISSED_ HIM?!!" Hermione laughed. Ginny blushed furiously. "Well? Tongue or no?"_

_"Hermione!"___

_"Well, this is more interesting than any other ol' boring small talk, you must admit," Hermione giggled. Ginny hated to admit it, but Hermione was right. Though she would not reveal her mystery boy's identity to her friend, she could certainly tell her these details. "Well?" Hermione asked impatiently. Ginny smiled shyly._

_"Tongue," she laughed. Hermione's jaw dropped._

_"Seriously?"__ Ginny only nodded. For some reason, that sent them into fits of giggles._

_"Was he good?" Hermione nudged Ginny with her elbow. Ginny flopped back onto the bed, hugging Toastie._

_"Absolutely amazing.__ I thought it would melt the snow…"_

_"Snow?!__ You kissed him outside in the snow?! Oh how romantic," Hermione cried enviously. For a moment, Hermione's eyes glazed over as she drifted into a fantasy world, and instantly Ginny knew she was thinking about Ron._

_"Why don't you take him for a walk?" Hermione's eyes snapped back into focus._

_"What?" she asked, sounding confused._

_"Ask Ron if he'll go for a walk…lead him outside and into the snow. Start a snow fight and get him down there and just kiss him like you've always wanted to," Ginny's suggestion tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop it. Hermione's eyes lit up. She smiled at Ginny and got up slowly, edging towards the door._

_"Well? It's getting late! Go on, then!" Ginny encouraged. Hermione grinned. She turned to leave but hesitated. Looking over her shoulder, she thought for a moment._

_"Who?"___

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Who was this mystery man if yours?"_

_"It's getting late," Ginny repeated. Hermione nodded._

_"Later, then?"___

_"Later," Ginny agreed._

_Hermione left, well aware that there probably wouldn't be a later._

Ginny had slept fairly peacefully that night, having told someone about the kiss. The next day had actually passed by rather quickly, and it wasn't long for Ginny's detention with Draco had snuck up on her. Now she organized bottles with him silently. They were almost finished and Ginny had successfully avoided looking at him. They were nearly finished. Finally, she stole a glance at him. He was focused intently on the last bottle, unlabeled; he was staring at the contents, swirling them to test their reaction. His blonde hair fell softly into his story gray eyes. She couldn't resist. She reached a hand over and brushed the stray strands from his face. He looked up at her and she froze. He brought a hand up to hers and covered it with his own; he slid her soft, gentle hand to his cheek, seeking the warmth that radiated from her skin. She sighed, "Draco…." Suddenly, the door swung open and the young witch and wizard jumped away from once another.

"You may come out if you're finished. I actually forgot you were in here; the meeting ended quite some time ago," Snape looked at them curiously. Draco rose and handed Snape the last bottle.

"It was unlabeled, Sir…I couldn't determine what it was," Draco reported formally.  
  


"Weasley, do you know what this is?" Snape addressed Ginny. Ginny walked over and looked into the vial. It was a swirling mixture of pink colors.

"Love Potion Number…" Ginny smelled the vial, only slightly as to not feel the effects; unfortunately, she couldn't escape it completely. She became intoxicated in it and whispered, "Love Potion Number 14…" She hiccupped slightly and Snape rolled his eyes.

"Very good," he said. "Accio, parchement, accio, quill, accio, ink," One by one, the objects flew over. He caught each and rested the ink on one of the shelves. He tore off a small piece of paper and wrote the proper title on the potion. Draco replaced it on the shelf.

"You are dismissed," Snape said stiffly and left to finish grading papers. Ginny and Draco walked out…well, Draco walked, Ginny stumbled. After a while of walking, he offered her his arm; rather than take it, she stared for at him for a second. Her vision was totally thrown off, and when she finally decided reach for his arm, she missed completely. She fell off her balance and stumbled forward. He swooped down and caught her, having her find herself, yet again, in his arms. The love potion's effects were heavy. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was in slightly messy tumbles, crowning her face. She leaned up closer to him, and she sighed his name. He could not resist her gentle voice. He pulled her roughly against him and kissed her passionately. He pressed her against the wall and kissed her, his tongue tracing her lips, begging for her acceptance. Slowly, her lips parted and his tongue met hers eagerly. A small moan escaped her lips when his hands rested on the small of her back, applying pressure to certain points and giving her an amazing massage. She clutched his shirt and held him to her. She drew her face down slightly and found him breathing just as harshly as she. Suddenly, she kissed him again, drawing their lips together again in fiery passion.

"Oh Gods, Draco," she moaned against his mouth. He pulled back and brushed the hair that was splayed on her shoulders to his back. He trailed kisses down her jawline and to her throat. He searched for a bit before finding her pulse. He kissed her their and sucked gently. Ginny felt something brush against her leg and she shrieked, jumping away from Draco. She looked down and saw Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, looking up at her eagerly. Ginny sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"We should go…" she said, the potion having worn off completely.

"We don't have to yet," he said, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Oh, but we do," Ginny said. "Draco…what's happened to you? Why aren't you the vile, cruel boy that I could so easily hate without hesitation? By changing…you've complicated things…" Draco stared at her, his eyes searching hers for the warmth they had held only moments before. She was hardening herself, putting up a wall; she was doing just what he had worked so hard to stop doing to her, and she was doing a damn good job of it. His jaw clenched and he took a deep breath.

"My father…he…wants me to become a Death Eater, and that's a path I'm not sure I'm ready to follow. I distanced myself from him, from everyone and everything. Then, Dumbledore approached me and…" Suddenly, Mrs. Norris let out a loud yowl and they both jumped, slightly startled.

"Tell me later," she whispered and kissed his cheek. She met his eyes, lending him some of her strength. She scurried up the stairs that would eventually lead to the main stairs and then would follow those to the Gryffindor Common Room. He turned and walked down the dungeons to the Slytherin Common Room, hands stuffed in his pockets, deep in thought.

(Whew! I think that's the longest one yet! Well, I got other fics to work on, so I'm posting this one! Please review guyz!)


	12. Unthinkable

(A/N: I don't know how many more chapters this story will have…I'm thinking two. It's just that I started it so long ago and I've kinda lost inspiration. Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I fully intend to continue writing DG fics, but this one's coming to an end. I hope it's cool with you guys. Well, on with the show =D)

"Draco!" A sweet voice whispered harshly. He felt his cloak being pulled over behind a large vase with an enourmous jungle-like plant Dumbledore obviously thought was attractive. It wasn't. Draco looked around bewildered for a moment before seeing Ginny Weasley standing meekly before him.

"What is it?" he asked, sounding somewhat concerned. The previous night, he and Ginny had met in the astronomy tower and talked about their lives: the good, the bad, their aspirations, their dreams…everything. Draco had spilled his heart out to one of his supposed most bitter enemies. He'd told her about the Death Eater situation and about how he was in league with Dumbledore as a spy for the Order. He told her about how his childhood hadn't been full of beatings, yet there weren't bundles of love to be wrapped up in. His childhood was just…his childhood. He was spoiled and got what he wanted. That was that. He supposed his parents loved him; they certainly got defensive of him when he was threatened. They just weren't all that good at showing how they felt. At least, that was the conviction he had held and gripped to tightly for so many years of his life.

Ginny spoke of how her life had been full of love and promise, but love and a few times, negligence. She was the youngest child. They all wanted to protect her, but didn't care what she thought. She got only hand-me-downs if she didn't buy her own clothes. She'd never had a pet in her life nor a new broomstick. Her wand was pretty much the only knew thing she had.

They had felt sympathy for one another, but also knew they would never know the others pain; Draco never lacking in materialistic things but always left wanton of love, Ginny needing some materialistic things (not many, just some, mind you) and always allotted with more love than she could handle.

Yet here they stood, her shifting nervously from foot to foot, he acting casually and trying to calm his racing heart. "I…" she began. "I just wanted…" Her face flushed prettily and he couldn't help but smile at her adorable features. True, she was not the drop-dead gorgeous beauty queens that girls like Padma and Lavender were, but she was lovely in herself, with a girl-next-door beauty to her; in many ways, he found that more attractive than the typical sluttish appearances of most girls at the school. She wasn't a bookworm like Granger, but wasn't overdone and obviously didn't spend three hours getting ready in the morning. Her striking auburn hair was lightened with golden streaks today and she was dashed with some light make-up. Even her black robes looked pretty on her. She tensed when she realized he was giving her a once-over. He winced, expecting a smack, but was startled to find her blush deepening and her hands shaking slightly. She mumbled something that sounded like 'Never mind' and scurried off.

_That was odd_, Draco thought to himself. _She was just acting like she always did back in her first year when she…liked…Potter…_The thoughts slowly put themselves together and for once, Draco found his mind a blank. Sure, she had kissed him and even flirted a bit; sure she had often talked to him. But a girl actually _liking_ him? For who he was and not for his money or looks? That was almost…correction, that wasn't almost unheard of, that was unheard of!

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Ginny sat in her dorm, shaking her head. She'd just made a complete idiot of herself! She grabbed a pillow and covered her mouth, then screamed as loud as she could. She flopped back onto her bed, the soft pillow still covering her face. She groaned and pulled the pillow from her face.

_I thought I'd gotten over my 'awkwardness around boys' phase_, she thought, depressed. She got up and walked over to her dress, stroking the fabric, thinking about the Masquerade. She and Draco had finished their detentions together. There had been several things to do, things that hadn't made sense at all but obviously related to the dance. Dumbledore had only given them small tasks so they wouldn't truly know what was going on there or what it would all look like. She sighed. Three more days until the dance. She simply couldn't wait. She held the dress to her and twirled around a bit before handing it up again. She slowly opened a small wooden box that her mother had sent her. Within was a perfect mask that would cover half of her face; it was white and covered in sleek, smooth feathers. The feathers that encircled each eye worked like a wing, beginning with the soft down feathers along the center, and then slowly spreading out to primary feathers, followed by secondary, flight feathers. She held it gently to her face and looked in the mirror. Perfect.

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((A/N: Sorry for such a short chappie, like I side, low on inspiration…damn muse…anyways, I'll update soon!))


	13. Broken Hearted

((A/N: … um… I…er….love you guys…? Don't hurt me, I'm updating it, aren't I?!))

Ginny hurried down the hallways, careful to avoid conversation with anyone. She simply wasn't in the mood to talk. She'd been late for potions, her hair and was a mess, she'd forgotten her textbook for D.A.D.A. and had had to run back to the dorm to get it consequently being late for that class as well, and then, to make matters worse, she'd dropped her last ink bottle all over her last pile of parchment. It soaked through every single sheet. To say the least, Ginny was having a bad day.

It was lunch time, and normally she would just go to the lunchroom and eat quietly, but right now, she was just too stressed. Any chatter would just bring her to tears. The trio passed by and Ginny slid behind a corner and pressed herself flat to the wall. They walked by without even noticing her. Soon, the hallways were empty. She wandered up and down them in silent contemplation, trying to calm down.

It wasn't long before she came to a long corridor with many beautiful paintings lining the walls. She put her bag down at the edge and began to walk, slowly examining the variety of techniques and styles. Suddenly, two arms encircled her from behind and she felt hot breath on her ear, causing chills to go down her spine. She didn't even need to turn to know who it was that smelled of that spicy, sharp scent.

"Draco," she breathed, unintentionally spoken so gently and lovingly. She felt him stiffen for a moment and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, afraid she'd frightened him…wanting to take it back. But just as quickly as his arms had stiffened, they relaxed and tightened the hug.

"Hullo, love," he whispered. She knew the nickname was a common pet name and didn't mean anything, but hearing it made her heart ache. Tears brimmed her eyes. She turned to look at him, trying to force them back.

"Ginny…?" he said upon seeing red eyes glistening. She lowered her head and her body shook with silent sobs. He lifted her face with one hand beneath her chin and felt his heart wrench when he saw tears staining her lovely, freckled cheeks. He pulled her close and held her tightly.

"What is it, love?" he asked softly. She turned her eyes to Draco and spilled out how much of a miserable day she had, finishing with the recent D.A.D.A. incident. "And then there's this guy I want to ask to the Masquerade but I can't get up the courage…to…ask…" she trailed off when she saw his blank, emotionless face. She had just mimicked the line she'd told so many girlfriends.

He burned with jealousy. So it wasn't him she liked. Perhaps she had only just seen the guy she'd wanted to ask and that's why she'd been so embarrassed when talking to him. He gave her a pat on the back, wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, and simply said "It'll be alright."

He took a deep breath. This hurt too much. "Hey, Weaslette, I gotta get going…just…take care of yourself." And then he left, leaving her there alone.

Draco sat on his bed, heart-broken and eating a box of chocolates his mother had sent him along with his dress robes for the upcoming Masquerade. Seeing the robes had only made another sharp pang travel through his body, numbing him for a moment. After the numbness had passed, his heart felt as though it had been punctured by a knife.

He began a letter to his mother, which read:

Dearest Mother-

Thank you for the chocolates and my robes. However, I'm afraid I might not be needing them. The Masquerade is just some foolish event that I'm not sure I wish to waste my time with. I might make an appearance, just for your sake, but that will probably be all. Thank you again.

Fondest Love and Affections,

Draco Malfoy

_There_, he thought sadly. _That ought to get me by without needing to actually go_. Draco closed his eyes and lay down on the bed after sending the letter off to his mother.

He awoke two hours later in darkness. He looked around and found no one else in the dorm yet. The night was still young. He closed his eyes and let silent tears fall for the first time in years. He thought of Ginny and how desperately he had wanted that fiery young girl to want him, to be his and his alone.

Harry and Ron were sitting in the hallway, talking, when they spotted Draco coming. Ron muttered under his breath "Ferret" as the other boy passed. Draco's inanimate gray eyes lifted slowly to glance at Ron, then to Ron's hair, but that was all. After the glance, the young Slytherin continued his heavy-hearted pace.

"That was odd…" Harry said. "Did you see him flinch when he saw your hair?"

"You think the flinch was odd? I think the silence, the lack of retaliation, the messy hair and red eyes were odd. Not to mention the fact that he was walking like he actually wasn't some snobby prat," Ron said back, but seemed to disregard it after that. He continued talking about Quidditch after only another moment. Hairy looked after Draco, his thoughts lasting slightly longer than his best friends, but soon also gave in to nonchalance and he began to prattle with the older brother of the object that gave Draco the look as though he'd been through Hell and back.

And in his heart, Draco thought, losing Ginny to some nameless boy was just that; a trip to Hell. However, coming back from Hell was something he considered would never happen. Not unless Ginny was his.

Ginny felt like a connection had been severed. Without Draco, she felt lost. She sat on her bed, holding her legs tightly. She felt the cold chill run down her neck, but she knew it wasn't a draft. The icy fingers began to massage her back and she closed her eyes, tears spilling instantly as she prayed she was dreaming.  
  
"Where is the one who protects you now, Ginny? Hm?"

"Please go away," she whispered, her voice shaky.

"But Ginny, you promised me forever. It was only a little over 5 years ago, Ginny. Don't you remember, Ginny? Don't you?"

He kept repeating her name, knowing what effect it was having on her.

"Tom, I'm asking you to please leave…" she said, turning to him. He sat just behind her on her bed, closer to the pillows. He stared at her and began to crawl on all fours closer to her. She leaned back to get away from the impending kiss but found she could not. She lost her balance and fell down on the bed beneath him. He grinned down at her and pressed his entire body against her, leaving her incapable of escaping his kiss. This time, she knew Draco wouldn't, and couldn't, come to her rescue. She tried to scream. He broke the kiss long enough to let her, before chuckling and saying, "Don't you think I took precautions?" Her face paled. With the curtains closed, her bed became a room. And a room could be made sound proof. He pressed himself against her again and kissed her. She cried out as his mouth moved to her neck and began to nibble. She moaned in disgust, wanting him to stop. He looked down at her and realized how much she was obviously against him. He hissed.

"You will want me soon enough!" He changed again into a serpent and slithered around her body and then out of her bed. She dropped herself down into a pillow and sobbed. How would she be able to put on a happy face for the Masquerade tomorrow? She sobbed even harder when the Masquerade made her think of her lost love – Draco.


End file.
